Mary Magdalene in France

Arrive in Paris by Tuesday, September 20 in the afternoon.
Hotel: Best Western Trianon Rive Gauche

Our hotel, Hotel Best Western Trianon Rive Gauche, is a couple of blocks from a major combo rail/metro line. It has direct access to both Paris airports, Orly and Charles DeGaulle. There is an extra shuttle step from Orly, but the rail link is a very economical and fast way to get from the airport to the hotel. Specific directions will be provided in August. It is near the Luxembourg Gardens and the Sorbonne. If you are planning to come in early, and need a hotel before the night of Sept. 20 please let me know asap if you need help booking a room.

Welcome breakfast in the morning. We will start at Sainte-Chappelle on Île de la Cité, as I understand the lines can be long, and it’s best to be there when it opens. Sainte-Chappelle has gloriously beautiful stained glass windows. From Sainte-Chappelle, we will walk to Notre Dame, and have lunch at a café along the way, so that we have a break between two major sites. At Notre Dame, I hope to have us join an English tour of the main level of the cathedral. (Tours of the Treasury and the upper levels-800 steps- would be totally on your own). Entrance to Sainte-Chappelle and Notre Dame will be included in your Paris Museum pass (part of your package).

That evening, at dusk, I would like to have us all go on a Bateau Mouches boat ride with dinner. This ride goes up and back along the Seine, from the Notre Dame area to the Eiffel Tower and back. This dinner would be included in your tour package. Following the Bateau Mouches we would return to our hotel by metro or shared cab. We could also do the boat tour without dinner, and eat at a restaurant.

We will visit the other places on the ley lines in Paris (maps to intrigue you will follow). We will walk a few blocks from our hotel, through the Jardin de Luxembourg, past the Fountaine de Medicis and past the palace, up to the Church of Saint-Sulpice. There are several restaurants nearby for brunch. From there we will walk about 5 blocks to Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Next, we will take the Metro to the Place de la Concorde, where the Obelisk is, with a beautiful view of the Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe. Straight ahead is our next destination, La Madeleine, dedicated to Mary Magdalene located within the sacred geometry of the mandorle.

It is here that we can take off to explore whatever we wish for the evening. Some of the museums are open late on Thursday evenings. We will be not far from the Louvre (a walk through the Jardin de Tuileries), Musée de l'Orangerie (impressionists), or a metro ride to Muséed'Orsay. You could also take the metro to Sacre Coeur on the hill Montmatre. Our hotel is accessible by the metro, and I can help you map out a route, or we can all go do something together, and then head back through the Latin Quarter to sit at a café and watch Parisians stroll by.

Sept. 23: Day trip to Chartres
Take 9 a.m. train to Chartres for the day
Tour upper Cathedral
Fingers crossed, we will walk the Labyrinth, which is currently closed for restoration

We will need to be up early to take the metro to a train station to the south of our hotel, to go to Chartres for the day. I’m hoping we can take a train around 9 a.m., to have a good long time to spend at the cathedral. We will take tours of both the main floor of the cathedral, as well as the crypt tour (I’m hoping to get us in on the English tour in the afternoon). We will eat at the cafés adjacent (as in across the courtyard) from the cathedral. There are wonderful shops and great cafés here! I am planning to have us walk the labyrinth, if it has reopened. Keep praying for that one. We may need to be flexible to get the opportunity to walk the labyrinth when it’s available. We will have a specific ceremony, designed for the labyrinth. Our train will bring us back to the hotel early evening. We can gauge our energy levels to see if we are up for a group dinner near our hotel.

Sept. 24:
Flight to Toulouse (included); Transfer to Domain de l'Espinet in Quillan, France. Dinner at resort, ceremony in evening.

We will again be up early to check out of our Paris hotel and head to the airport for a short flight to Toulouse (flight included). I’m planning for a driver to pick us up there and transport us (included) to Quillan/or rent a van, to the resort, Domain de l’Espinet. We will have dinner at the resort (for the duration of our stay, we are “half-board” which means they will provide breakfast and dinner for us). We have use of a meeting room to gather for ceremony, and we are on the land as well. We will be in 4 person/2bedroom/2bath condo, with kitchenette and deck. We will have access to pool and Turkish bath as part of our package. Additional spa services, like massages and treatments are at your own cost. We will gather that evening to set our intentions for the week ahead.

Following breakfast at the resort, we will go to the Esperaza market where we can buy a picnic lunch for our trip to Rennes-le-Château. We will tour the Church of Mary Magdalene and the Berenger Sauniere Museum. If conditions are right we could find a nearby site for a ceremony. I have recently been in contact with a local author who may be available to give us a talk or tour. This will be a short day, so we could spend some time in circle integrating our day, and our trip so far.

Sept 26: Cathar region: Montségur and Troubador Chateau (ceremony)We will visit Puivert and Montségur. Montségur was a mountain stronghold of the Cathars, and the site where many were sacrificed. If weather conditions are favorable, we may not walk all the way up hill, but we will go to the monument to those who died. It is said that the energies here are very high, and connected with a sacred energetic network. At Puivert, we will visit the castle and museum about the French troubadors (Musée du Quercob), and the unique culture that arose between 1100 and 1250, during the times of the Crusades. This will be a full day trip.

Lover’s Fountain and sacred springs near Rennes-les-Bains. Mary Magdalene is said to have performed baptisms and taught here. Also nearby is the Neolithic era stone “Isis Chair”. Before Mary Magdalene brought her love and gentle teachings, this area of healing waters was sacred to Isis, and before Her, the Great Mother. Water ceremony will be done here.

Sept 28: Carcassonne

Full day at the medieval walled city of Carcassonne. We will tour the church and city. There are many restaurants and shops, and magnificent views here. I’m planning that we’d take one of the guided or audio tours.

Sept 29: Bugarach and Peyrepertuse and Queribus castles (ceremony)

Drive to Pic de Bugarach on the Green Meridiean, to include Peyrepertuse and Quéribus castles. Weather and energy depending, we could walk up into the castles, or up a portion of the mountain. I understand that some of the strongest Magdalene/Christed energy is here. I’m hoping to do an initiatory ceremony on this day.

Our driver will take us and our belongings to Montpelier airport, where we will pick up our rental van. From there we will drive to Stes.-Maries-de-la-Mer. I’m planning to arrive in late afternoon, and perhaps tour the church. Definitely eat at one of the restaurants in in the village (included), then, make our way to Cacharel Hotel in the Camarque. We would also have time to visit the church in the morning, as we’ll be just a few miles outside of town. I’m looking forward to Lynda saying her ancestral prayer to Sara here, as she has a clear connection with her guide Sara!

Possible church visit or Camarque (nature preserve known for water birds and a fascinating culture of bulls and horses) drive in the morning, possibly stopping in Arles to see the Roman ruins/ampitheatre (would have been there in Mary’s day). Arriving by late afternoon at Ste. Maximin, where we will stay in a former convent, the Hotel Le Couvent Royal, where we will be for two nights. We will visit the Bascilica in Ste. Maximin, which is a short walk from the hotel.

Sun. Oct. 2 Ste. BAUME

If we have not had time to go to the Bascilica in Ste. Maximin, we will go on Sunday, perhaps to mass, then make our way to Ste. BAUME, the cave where Mary is said to have spent her final years in meditation and ascended to heaven. Weather and energy permitting, we will climb up the mountain side to the shrine and gather some holy water. Depending on the energy and what we are permitted to do, we could do a ceremony along the route up to the cave. There will be time for contemplative prayer. It will be Sunday, and there may be services at both locations.

Mon. Oct. 3, Ste.-MAXIMIN-LA-STE.-BAUME to MONTPELIER

Depending on your flight preferences, you could see if you could book a flight straight back to the U.S. from Montpelier, or take a short flight back to Paris; if you need a flight back to Paris, it will be included. I will be returning to Paris from Montpelier, and then staying at a hotel near the airport before my flight home the next day.

Oct 4: Travel home from Paris or Marseilles

This journey is designed to be a sacred pilgrimage to honor the energy of the Feminine Divine, and in specific, Mary Magdalene. It is not a sight-seeing tour. I am seeking a small group of women who are interested in doing ceremony, opening themselves up to spiritual transformation, spending time in silent meditation or guided meditation, are willing to take time to drop into the essence of a location and absorb and/or transmute the energy found there. The day's tasks will not always be easy, but I will build in time to journal, have silence, reflection or prayer time, and time for your own transformation as it occurs. The grounds of the resort we will stay at in southern France also includes a spa, pool and turkish bath.

One of my intentions is to transmute earlier traditions' denial, belittling or rejection of the feminine principles within the concept of inner divinity. As you may know, the Cathar regions could be challenging energetically due to the deaths and persecutions of long ago.

At each site, it is my intention to lead a form of meditation, chant, ceremony or discovery task. We will take time to drop in to the energy of that particular site.

In Paris, we will stay at the Best Western Trianon Rive Gauche for three nights, from which we will take public buses, the metro, or trains to our destinations, including to Chartres (an easy day trip by train). There will be some free time in Paris, to go see/experience something there that you've always dreamed of. The Paris segment will include a two-day pass to museums and metro/trains.

In the South of France, we will stay at a resort called Domain de l'Espinet in Quillan, France. It is a collection of condo-like residences with 2 bedrooms-2 baths, four people to a unit. It will include breakfast and dinner daily, along with an option to purchase a boxed lunch. I am arranging for a tour bus, and optional guides at certain sites, to take us out for the day. The resort also includes admission to their spa services (pool, turkish bath, jacuzzi) and the option for additional services, like massages. We will be on the land and have our own meeting room at our disposal.

On Sept. 30, we will be dropped off at the Montpelier airport to rent a couple of cars, to continue the rest of our journey. First we go to Saintes Maries de la Mer, where we will stay at a hotel for overnight just outside of town in the Camarque region, called Cacharel.

Oct. 1 we will journey to Ste. Maximin-La-Ste.-Baume and stay 2 nights, at the Hotel Le Couvent Royal.

Time, energy, and weather permitting, we may take the pilgrimage up to the grotto at St. Baume on Oct. 2nd, following, perhaps, a mass at the basilica (The grotto is a climb for which one needs to be in shape, and is not particularly friendly in rainy conditions, so the climb is optional).

I'm hoping that we will be able to include a short drive through Arles, where there are Roman ruins. These would have been major centers in Gallia Narbonensis at the time of Mary Magdalene's voyage from Jerusalem.

In many locations, I will attempt to arrange breakfast at the hotel or cafe nearby, to be included in the cost of the tour. Lunch most days will be on your own at cafes close to the sites we are visiting, or will be boxed lunches. Dinners at the resort will be included, as will two dinners in Paris.

It may be possible to return directly home from Marseilles, instead of taking a return flight to Paris. If we do go back to Paris to fly home, we'll get a serviceable hotel room near the airport; and if you need to stay overnight near the Marseilles airport, that hotel stay will be included as well.

Please feel free to share this trip with your friends. I'd like to have up to 12 people join us.

And, if you have any questions, please fill out the information request form below and I'll send you the complete packet of information.

The cost of the trip will be $3650.00 US. The first deposit of $500 is due Jan. 25, 2016 (PayPal button below for first deposit) EXTENDED TO 3/1/16. Second and Third payments of $1575 will be due on April 21, and July 19.

Kaliani Devinne is author of Steps on the Sacred Spiral, a blog about travel to sacred sites and transformation. She has been accompanying shamanic practitioners, ceremonialists, teachers and guides on pilgrimages to sacred sites for the past several years, and now leads her own.

She is a Reiki Master, High Priestess, Family Historian, and Overall High-Energy-Addict. Her travels have taken her to Hawaii to study with kahunas, to Hopi Mesa to meet a Fire Clan Elder, to Montana for the First International Sundance, to Sedona for classes with a metaphysician, to Chaco Canyon with an Apache ceremonialist, and most recently, to the U.K. and France to visit standing stone sites, Stonehenge and Avebury, and Chartres Cathedral.In 2015, she was immersed in the Goddess Temples of Malta and had fun visiting Mt. Etna on Sicily. In 2016, Kaliani lead her own group to Paris and Southern France to visit the places where Mary Magdalene is said to have lived and practiced.

She writes about her remarkable travel experiences and is working on a book about Mary Magdalene, the labyrinth and becoming "a Mary." She has facilitated moon lodge, priestess training in San Diego with Jennifer Masters, as well as a crone’s dream circle. Her newest project is establishing a Magdalene Circle for women to practice and share their spirituality.